It takes a great deal to be a successful mentor of talented young musicians.

In addition to providing first-class technical and musical instruction, a mentor must nurture, inspire, guide, support and in addition must be a students biggest cheer leader and first concert promoter. People like this are rare and in my tours around the world I have had the privilege of meeting only a few. My favorite is San Francisco's Scott Cmiel!

Scott Cmiel has established himself as one of the most effective and inspirational

guitar instructors in the United States. I have had the pleasure of accepting a number of Scott’s former students into my studio at the University of Southern California. They have all been exceptionally well-prepared as musicians and guitarists, and they have shown a contagious enthusiasm for their instrument. In addition to being a highly qualified teacher, Scott has a warm, nurturing demeanor that encourages all his students to excel.

As artists in residence for San Francisco Performances, we had the pleasure of

working with the students of Scott Cmiel over a period of four years.

Their technical ability and musicality was of the highest standard and a mirror image of

Scott's skill as a teacher and his enthusiasm for the guitar.

A few lucky teachers are fortunate enough to have one exceptionally talented student

but Scott has had so many it cannot be the result of luck. He has the rare gift of motivating and making his pupils enthusiastic about guitar playing. Scott’s open minded attitude towards anything new or different and his hunger to learn put him on the very frontier of a changing guitar world. Scott is surely one of the most inspiring guitar teachers of our time.